Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Today, Taylor and some of the Baker's Dozen design team have a challenge for Merry Mass Production to share with you!

We are all aware that as card makers perhaps our busiest time of year for the card giving occasion is Christmas and it can be a little stressful at times to be sure everyone on our list gets a handmade card without putting undue stress on ourselves! Well, we have a few tips to share with you to help you in that area!

Here is a shot of 8 Christmas cards I made in about and hour and a half (once my design was established-which is about as long as it takes me to complete one card sometimes!). I used the newly released Christmas Blessings set and used the nativity and wise men scene for my card, similar to the style for my sneak peeks I shared here (inspired by the full color image on the stamp sheet).

My first step was to pick my layout, which happens to be pretty much the ame one I use when I get into mass production mode-which is on the right. It's very clean & simple yet nice and you can easily make it as simple or detailed as you want it!

My next step was to choose my cardstock, inks and embellishments. My ink was chosen for me because I already had my images chosen (chocolate chip craft ink, embossed with clear embossing powder), 2 shades of blue for sponging the sky and I chose a third color - gold for a rich Christmas feel. My cardstock would be a choice Buttercream base and designer paper is Basic Grey Figgy Pudding. My embellishment is a simple ivory satin ribbon from my stash.

Here are a few shots showing the graduated colors for the night sky. With the wise men image, the light in the sky comes from the moon and light that the led the wise men to baby Jesus. The light in the manger scene emanates from baby Jesus, since He is the Light of the World. Where the light is brightest is where there should be less color. In the first picture, I sponged bordering blue ink around the manger, and covered up the 'frame' with post-it notes.
In my second photo, I sponged night of navy around the top and sides, not completely covering the previous color.

In the last photo, you see how the sponging looks with the post-it notes removed.

Challenge to YOU: Create a set of 4-10 identical or very similar Christmas cards and show at least one photo of your cards in a full group shot. Post to your blog or any on-line gallery and visit Taylor's blog to post a link so we can check out your creations!

Now, be sure to check out all the Merry Mass Production inspiration by the Baker's Dozen: